Burnsie

So you seek the Anathema?

Anathema is a community of sorts and is home to a number of outcasts, fugitives, extortionists, arsonists and varying and sundry other vile individuals. They come from all paths, be it from the power of Technology, Science, Magick, Mutation, or through some Natural design. These gathered have deemed it worthwhile to commune together. Some do it for protection, others for access to the Warrens, the home of Anathema, and still others do it simply because there is nothing better happening in the Rogue Isles.

There are few rules amongst our ranks. Harm no other Anathema, their minions, or the Warrens themselves.

If you think you are able enough, and can abide by the simple rules of the Warrens. Then approach us with wary hand…

((Anathema was born as a way to expand the growing needs of the Dauntless Reverie Player base, as well as to allow those in the community with interest in our group and opportunity to play side by side on a regular basis.

With the expansion of City of Villains it became apparent that to keep our group playing together, and interacting with one another and the wonderful RP community on Virtue, an additional outpost in the Dauntless Universe had to be created on the Villains’ side. Thus was born Anathema in the Rogue Isles.

The decision was made that membership in the Dauntless Reverie is not a requirement of Anathema Membership, and thus the doors stand open for others to come be a part of our group.

We are a highly RP focused group with a proven track record of longevity on Virtue and a history of memorable RP activities that involve many in the RP Community. As is standard with most RP groups we have an OOC channel for RL conversation and non-character fun having, as well as an extremely active message board (over 24,000 articles)…

Membership Requirements:

As stated above, we are an extremely RP focused group. So the desire to RP is required, as well as the ability to interact with other members of Anathema in character.

All prospective members need to register and post an introduction to their character on the Dauntless Reverie message boards at http://www.new-element.net/phpbb/index.php

Once a post of intent has been made, we will get with you to work out a time for an In-character interview.

For clarification feel free to approach any Captain within Anathema.

These are:
Gravesong ~ Hexess
Widow Paris ~ Shadeau/Mr Burns
Miss Maven ~ Risia Tremane
Acquisition ~ Elysienne
Victoria D’Veldrin ~ Renor Barra

Thank you for taking time to review this, and should you seek us out… best of Luck!))

The Widow Paris
Warren Master
Anathema

[ QUOTE ]
I'd just like to say that the guide is excellent. That having been said I have one minor complaint. If "l33t" speak is part of your character concept I beleive that it is okay to have your name in it. My 50, W1R3D 5T33L, is an ex-freakshow. She had her nervous system replaced with a bleeding edge fiber optic network that ups her reaction time into the 'insane' category. So her name is like that of the in-game Freakshow villians, in l33t. She doesnt talk in l33t mind you, that would be awkward and dumb really. I see your reasoning, as I have met many others who spell their names with numbers and to call them f-tards is an insult to the f-tard community as a whole. I just wanted to say that you can not always judge a book by its cover. Oh, and ten puppies to whomever can discern W1R3D's AT, primary, and secondary.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with you fully. The choice of l33t speak for your character was part of an overall character design, it goes back to showing forethought and purpose for your character before they even hit the street. As long as the effort is there, then all things are well with the universe.

That being said, I Lurve the Concept!

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm fine with people not typing well, as long as they put forth the effort...

AKA, people who use one letter instead of three, uh, I want to stab in the face. 'U' isn't a lot less work to type than 'you' is.

But, hey, misspellings and poor punctuation are fine by me. Just not AOLer speak. I think a lot of people use this standard, but... I can't speak for everyone, obviously.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to agree with that Kelp.

[/ QUOTE ]

First off thanks for the praise... it does my burning little heart good to hear it...

Secondly: Anyone that has ever ran into any of my 32 characters on Virtue (Yes... 4 accounts) can tell you I am a horrible speller, and grammatician...

I never let the mispellings or typos bother me too greatly... It's the content of the conversations and interactions that hold the appeal...

Good question!!!

I'll do a no-no and answer it with a question...

How do you do that in real life?

Maybe with a twinkling tone in your voice, or a hand on your hip and a comically scrunched up face...

You can always include such things in your RP.

/em puts his hand to his forhead in mock military salute
/say Aye Aye captain
/em chuckles as he pokes fun at XXXXX

Such interactions are pretty common.

A lot of players in COH play very hair trigger type characters, ones that are asily offended or that take much of what is said personally in character.

The easiest and most straighforward way to help ease some of he confusion of whether it is IC or OOC, is to /tell them...

I've never been shot down for asking someone to clarify if a reaction is OOC or IC... and asking will help you develop a bond with the character and his/her driver.

Does that help you at all?

~Burnsie

<Note: Um... yeah!... alll miss-pellings and inkorrect word choices in the above are N-tensional >

[ QUOTE ]
Thank you for this guide.

I had a very odd experience that, for a time, turned me off to RPing in COH. I am a longtime role player with years of tabletop experience. And I have always been excited by the possibility of active role playing in City of Heroes. But the one time I had a character try to join a RPing super group, I was criticized for my spelling/typing. I found that highly offensive. I’m not a particularly good typist. As a matter of fact I am using voice dictation to write this. But that’s not an option in City of Heroes. So I have to rely on my admittedly meager typing skills.

How common is this sort of criticism likely to be? If I take myself to the park, am I likely to be shunned for a simple transposition of letters, or am I doomed to role playing dyslexics with speech impediments? In the end it becomes down to this - I can type well, or I can type fast, I cannot do both. And in the interests of conversational speed I usually choose to type fast. What is the consensus of the RP community when dealing with proper spelling and grammar?

[/ QUOTE ]

The Idiot responds:

Most RPers in general are not typing or grammatical taskmasters, however you will find them amongst the ranks.

Those that do taskmaster, are not normally doing it because they are trying to be elitest or superior, it is normally just part of a pet peeve... or in some cases people speak up because proves to be immersion breaking.

My suggestion, don't fret over it, but do pay attention to the spelling and grammatical woes that are common. "Teh" for "The" and "I before e except after c", those type things.

Don't feel that you have to be doomed to a poor speaking character because your typing is not as speedily done or because it may have errors. Some of the best RP that I have ever had was with a Japanese speaking individual that had to take serious time to translate everything she wanted to say into English. I don't thing there was a sentence with any less than 11 errors, but I understood the point, and the RP was very fun.

There is another trap in all this... Speed!

It's been my experience that most of the errors that people run into are due to trying to type too fast, or wanting to make sure their comments are not lost in the fast moving jumble. Of course that sometimes can't be helped as RP, at least on Virtue, moves at a dizzying speed sometimes.

And here is one last morsel for you, if you do feel that individuals are pressing you too hard about the typing, spelling, etc. and you feel too uncomfortable, migrate around the RP areas, there are more than a few styles running at any one time during the weeknights.

~Burnsie

[ QUOTE ]
Wow, Burnsie, you got the official "Whale Seal of Approval" though what you're going to do with a seal, I have no idea.

[/ QUOTE ]

He can say anything he wants, I'm just super happy he's back to say it...

((It means "grins", those <> normally denote a facial expression. You'll see <EG> for Evil Grin.... ))

((PM's galor telling me I should post a copy of this over here and on the guide boards.

I update this regualrly so feel free to "Favorites" the linked article in my Signature. This guide is geared towards the "new" RPer, but I think a lot of the items within will ring true with all RPers.

If you think there is something missing, please feel free to PM me and I will make additions in a fairly timely manner... Thanks for Looking!

~Burnsie))

An Idiot’s Guide to RP in Paragon City

Congealed by an Idiot


Prologue:
So you’ve decided to give this Role-playing thing you’ve heard so much about, a shot. You’ve played City of Heroes for a short time and you know that you enjoy the game, and you want to become one of those players with a nifty back story that other players know and remember. Well you’ve hit the right place. Over the next few chapters I will try to put this all together from an Idiot’s point of view… Mine! So stick with me and we’ll get through this thing together.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

1.1 Pre-development

There are basically two ways that an RP character evolves. One requires luck and flexibility, that method being that you create a character and allow it to evolve naturally. Without defining any quirks, issues, shortcoming or strengths until they spill out from RP. This method is generally used by the RP Professionals, and I, not being a professional, have never had much luck with this approach.

So to keep things as simple as possible we’ll go with a formulaic approach that has worked for me.

Well Thought-out History + Relevant Costume + Memorable Issues + Glimmering Personality = Recognizable Character

We’ll hit each in order.

Well Thought-out History:

Not everyone is capable of sitting down and writing out the complete and involving back story of how their character came into being. But every player that wishes to enter into the realm of RP should at least have 7 basic facts ironed out prior to character creation (using the formula above, those that use the luck approach need to plan nothing)

Your basic facts include:
• Where you Were
• How you came to be in Paragon City
• What are your abilities
• Where your abilities came from
• What is your purpose in Paragon City
• What your character personality is
• What are your “quirks”

Let’s work through an example here. One that will follow us all the way through the process. As of right now our character has no name, no costume, it is simply an empty character slot on the log in screen.

Let’s Begin:

When answering the facts above it is always advisable to through in a little “Game Spice”, these are tid-bits of information that will help engrain your character within the world of CoH.

Things that revolve around the golden age heroes like Galaxy Girl, or the modern champions like Statesman are popular. But even more so, are those that revolve around the corporations, companies and villain groups. These groups are often utilized by role playing heroes. Companies like Portal Corps. and Crey Industries are very useful resources when filling in the back data on your character. As are associations with the more nefarious of the villains in CoH, The Carnival of Shadows, The Circle of Thorns, Hellions, Sky Raiders, etc. Latch on to one and utilize it’s in game story line to advance your character. Most of these mobs you will end up fighting throughout the mid game so it will allow you a plethora of Role Play opportunities.

Think it through a little bit, then jot it all down on a sheet of paper, these are the most basic of limitations for your character. What you place down here is not set in stone, but it should also be followed very closely. These seven facts make your character who they are.

So let’s put one together.

Where you were… Paris in 1920

Putting a location that is well known and an era that may not be will add a certain flair to your creation. Multiple layers are a good thing in these instances, but remember for the purposes of this segment try to keep it short and simple.

How you came to be in Paragon City… a Portal created by The Circle of Thorns opened, in front of you and you were sucked within it.

At this point we have just established the characters main influence, the Circle of Thorns, this will open the way for items on down the listing. However at any step within this process you can insert who you face on a regular basis.

What are your abilities?... This character is a Dark Melee, Regen Scrapper

Let’s face it, you are playing a game that is driven by the dynamic of the character’s powers. Any power set you want to play should fit within the outline. While it has been done, it is very difficult to get other players to suspend their disbelief enough for you to RP that your Electric Blast power is really a Blast of Sand. If a sand character is what you were trying to create the better option might have been an Earth Controller, or a Stone Tanker. However it is easy to get other players to suspend their disbelief enough to believe that the Energy Blast set is actually Water powers instead of Energy (i.e. the character Kelp Plankton on Virtue). Try to keep your powers in line with your character. It does, in fact, make your RP easier. And when in doubt use a more generic power set, each AT has one. Tankers have Invulnerability, Blasters have energy, Defenders have Empathy/Force Fields, Scrappers have Martial Arts, etc.

Where your abilities came from… The Circle of Thorns performed rituals that gave this character their powers.

This part is where the main skill of all RPers comes into play… creativity! You could be experimented on, they could come naturally to you, you could have mutated, they could be made available to you by some form of machinery that you have implanted, or they could be granted to you by a god/goddess/magickal object. When in doubt here, turn to the origins available in the game for some ideas. But also understand that you are not limited by them, just use them a base from which to progress.

Common sense does play a part in this though. If your character was granted their powers by the Fire Goddess Pele’ it might not make sense for our powers to be ice based or water based. There are always exceptions, but beginning in the process of RP you will find it easy if you keep it as simplified as possible.

What is your purpose in Paragon City… to defend the populace with all the powers at this character’s disposal.

Here is the place to begin mapping out the reasoning behind them “Staying” in paragon. You may be tracking down someone that kidnapped your family, or trying to learn all the magicks you can to defeat a big badguy in your homeland, you may be in search of something. There are a myriad of reasons to remain in Paragon, but the above example is by far and away the most simple.

It will be a reason for you to always remain in Paragon. Choosing some of the other options like, “My Purpose here is to Defeat the Envoy of Shadows, because it was the one that turned me” while dramatic, and inclusive of content, means that when you hit level 30 and get invited to defeat the Envoy… well you’ve met your character’s goal… now what are you going to do? Think through the life of your character. You get to play God and the Fate’s all rolled into one here. You are mapping the destiny of your creation…

What your Character’s Personality is… this character is a sultry yet dark female, she is flirtatious, and slightly mean spirited

This is the most fun portion so far. You need to simply indicate what your character’s basic traits are like. A neat trick for this is to find 2 characters that you somehow relate to, and merge them together. In the above example I thought about Rue McClanahan’s character Blanche from the golden girls, and merged her with the Demi Moore character from Charlie’s Angels 2. Doing this should help out immensely.

Try merging some totally opposing characters for comedic value, like the Stapler Guy from Office Space, with a court jester from King Authur’s court. Or say a Nun, with an alien postal worker. The boundaries are limitless (unless you cross the line see Chapter 2 for details)

What are your character’s quirks… Being French she is just now beginning to understand English, she speaks with a very thick and heavy French accent, and has trouble with American Slang/Jargon

Speech abnormalities are very common among the more memorable of the RP communities within CoH. Feline characters often have a gravelly/purring sound in their speech, some characters have lisps, some even have their very own form of English (I will refrain from naming names, but um… Rowr-Speak, Kitsy-speak, and Whale-speak are very good examples of this). And there are a very few characters that don’t even speak at all.

However quirks are not always about speech, they include any number of physical activities, actions, or thought processes that a character might struggle through. You’re character might be addicted to cigarettes, and chain smoke. They may be hydrophobic and will not go in the water. They may even be allergic to bee-stings. All these quirks will aid in making your character more enjoyable for those observing your RP. And by making it more enjoyable you will find you draw more players to you.

So that covers the basic outlining process. Just remember that you are forging a character that you will be playing on the stage that is City of Heroes. If your character is not entertaining and thought provoking then no one will tune in to watch your show.

1.2 Character Creation

Now for the fun Part! Hours upon hours of time can be spent in the character creation tool, with so many color options and costume pieces, there are literally over 12 million possible costume combinations… for the female characters alone!

However, with this process being so much fun it is incredibly easy to get carried away.

Let’s get started with the easy part.

Thanks to the outline above, we already know that the character will be Magickal Origin, Scrapper, with Dark Melee, and Regeneration. Look to the CoH boards for what powers to choose for whichever build you find yourself making.

We have already decided her to be female.

Size and Musculature will vary. These are really artsy choices, however my personal suggestion is to look towards your outline to aid in this decision. If you character is 8 years old, you might not want to put her in a 8 foot tall, 450lbs body. Use common sense and discretion. For the purposes of this character I made her the default sizing.

Now we’re moving into the fun but dangerous part of choosing your first costume.

Take a little time here to think about what your character might be wearing. If they are a normal/average Joe turned super hero does the idea of an all spandex uniform work best, or would they be the type to take on bad guys in just a tank top and a small mask? Ask these questions as you put their clothes on.

If they were a color what would they be?
Is armor necessary?
Do they need a tail more than a belt?
Based off their origination, what kind of hairstyles would they have?

Any other questions that you can ask yourself and answer reasonably will help in leading your character to a more enlightened and fitting appearance. Your dark and gloomy character might never be described by others and bubbly and Neon Yellow. They are more apt to describe her as brooding and grey. So take those words that describe the character’s personality. A dark and gloomy character that is incredibly envious might work out well in green.

Sometimes the powers are also a good choice to lead you to a color scheme. This reason alone is why so many Radiation defenders actually look great in neon green. Align them to what you will be wielding. It will aid in making your character more memorable.

However with the costumes, all the rules are made to be broken. So long as there is a purpose behind the choices. So when you are asked, “Hey you Mr. Dark Dark Defender, why are you dressed up like the sun?” you can respond with… well, with whatever logic drove you to choose that costume. Ex. I have been blessed by both the Dark Goddess and the Sun God, my powers from the Lady, and my magickal raiment from the Lord… etc.

So now you’ve gotten the perfect tights, and belt, and boots, and gloves for your character, on to the hardest part of character creation… The Naming.

The Naming of your character will be the first line in your RPing with other characters in most cases.

Often initial interactions with others begins with the following…

“Hello stranger, I am Lord Bannion, Have we met before?”

to which you will normally reply

“I am<insert name here>, we have not met in person before, but your exploits are legendary…”

Now your character may not talk like that, or use correct grammar, but you get the idea. Having a name that “fits” and is memorable goes a long way in your interactions with others.

L33T D00D names are pretty much a no-no. Try to refrain from using names that utilize this mode of online speech. As are names that are rip-offs of trademarked characters, like the Inflatable Hulk, and the Whyte Queen. These type of names are not often taken as serious RPers.

Be warned. If a name sounds very imperial and awesome, chances are it is taken at this point. Names like “Griffon” and “Paindealer” will more likely than not be unavailable.

Originality while remaining in the context of your character is pretty much the only way to go. A French woman from the 1920’s, that has very dark powers and healing ability might have some knowledge of the occult because of the Age of Investigation that swept through Europe during this time. Many men and women dabbled in the occult, or located old legends to begin study on the paranormal at this time. Focus was placed on the Afro-Caribbean religions during this time, so she might name herself “Peristyle” after the center piece of the Vodou Altar.

Now, how did I know that? Am I an uber researcher? Not at all. I went to google.com and searched for some morsel of character spice. Searched “Women in 1920 Paris”, then found a small bit on the vodou connection and searched that. See? Just a little bit of detail goes a very long way, when RPing.

Now that an interesting character is fleshed out, it’s time to enter Paragon.

Chapter 2: First Contact

2.1 The Rules of Engagement

First up, let’s talk about where to go and how to get started in the actual interactions with other RPers.

Various servers have their RP hot spots. On Virtue (The Unofficial RP Server) the three main locations are Under Atlas in Atlas Park, Gemini Park in Galaxy City, and the Paragon Dance Club.

Take your well thought out and planned character to one of these locations to meet new individuals. Or to introduce your new character to old friends.

There are some things that you need to understand before getting started that will help keep you from getting upset. Your character is an unknown at this point. Not everyone will react to them immediately.

You will have to take the first steps at interaction. If individuals don’t see some form of bubble form above your head they often think that you are RPing a character that is unseen or that lurks in the background. So speak up!

Two ways to do this without actively interfering in the RP of others is to walk up to the area where the other are and say, “Greetings, I am Peristyle, and I am looking to make friends. Might I join you?” Now I know that seems corny, and hokey, and odd, but it’s a sure fire way to get folks talking with you. Now it can always be simplified to meet your characters personality. Try using “Is this seat taken?” when in the club, or use clever /em’s to generate the first interactions. /em Curls up on the outskirts of the small crowd, not wanting to interfere, but wanting to listen… is fairly effective for your shy characters. Again use your imagination.

Once you have started the conversation there are a few rules that you should pay careful attention to. Ever RP community has it’s own rules around how RP is conducted. The same is true for not only CoH, but also for Supergroups within CoH. So what I am sharing here are the generally accepted Rules of Engagement when involving yourself with RP. These make up the majority of the things that will cause your character to get on the /ignore lists of many of the RPers.


• No Powerposing/God Modeing/Run-way RPing.

This is defined by RPing actions that affect another player without their permission. Actions that involve the killing of another character are part of this as well. Ex. /em reaches into the chest of Hero X and squeezes the life from his heart. While that example is graphic other more subtle actions can still be called Powerposing. Ex. /em sings a song of such beauty and purity that it causes all within its sound to fall under her spell.

• Stay in Character

Nothing will break immersion in your character as fast as breaking character while RPing. Try to keep your character’s thoughts feelings and reactions at the forefront of your mind at just about all times. And should the need come up for you to gain some clarity on a situation, or something the others said always indicate when Out Of Character, or OOC, by using either the (( )) approach, or the more complicated OOC: approach. You will see these quite frequently about Virtue and on the Forums.

• When in doubt, Ask!

No one’s character has ever been hurt by sending a /tell to the individual(s) that you are RPing with asking an OOC question about something you want to do with or near their character. If you want to cast a pool of dark energy on the ground and you want someone to act frightened so that you can have your character, make it go away out of compassion, ask them to help you. Use /tell’s like you would a dress rehearsal to see how all the pieces will fit together.

• Share the Friggin’ Spotlight!

This one is pretty easy. Just like in Real Life your character will not always be at the epicenter of all the RP activity. Be mindful that if another is at a particularly dramatic or difficult point in the active RP around you, it may not be the time to figure out why your magickal watch is saying “Eat Fried Beans”. Be willing to share the spot light with others and they will be willing to share it with you.

• Foster the Community

If there is an event, that is available to all the populace of Paragon, try to make it a point to attend when your RL allows it. When you have become more comfortable RPing, take someone else under your wing and show them how it’s done. Any activity that is supportive of the RP community is a must to for most RPers.

However the reverse of this is also true, so nothing that will create a dislike of the RP community as a group should be engaged in. RPing a rabid monkey that spreads Rabies to everyone, even non RPers, reflects poorly on the community as a whole. So be mindful that your reactions are reflected upon all RPers.

• Suspension of Disbelief


Part of successful Roleplaying, is being able to dispel your disbelief. We all do it even if we don’t think we are. By logging into the game we automatically forfeit a small piece of our disbelief. If you really analyze it none of our powers exist, none of our characters exist, and Paragon City itself doesn’t exist. Upon entering the game we make the world around us… real. That being said …

Over the course of your character’s career in Paragon, you are likely to encountered characters with histories and stories that may seem implausible based upon currently held standards of belief. You may meet gods and goddesses with vastly different backgrounds (you might even meet the same god/dess in multiple forms while in Paragon), you might meet angels and demons that have nothing biblical about them, and you will even meet characters from far off galaxies, tied to other existing cultural mythos (living urban legends, etc).

Here’s an example. For a short time there was a character named Bobby Kringle. He was that little brother to Kris Kringle. He just wasn’t as famous, and did a lot of RPing about living life in his brother’s shadow. No where in the mythos of Santa, does it say that he had a brother. Nor does it say that he doesn’t. This character was enjoyable to everyone around him, simply because everyone had suspended their disbelief, and involved themselves in his world. The world where Santa had a brother.

Successful RPers will allow other players to indulge in creating their own stories, even if it means allowing something that doesn’t appear “plausible” based off past knowledge. My tip with this, swiped rather blatantly from the more successful RPers I’ve met, is to think of Paragon City as a nexus to multiple realities with multiple truths. If you adopt a similar thinking then suspending your own disbelief will be a cinch. Be respectful of those with stories outside your beliefs, and you’ll find that you’ll be included more readily in the community and have a much better RP experience within CoH.

Those Six Rules will last you through out the game, no matter where you are roleplaying. There will be additions to the listing, but those will mainly reflect the individual needs/wants of your RP partners and/or Super Group.

2.2 Storylines – How to make your Character Come Alive – (Content by Spandexman)

A major part of RP comes after the initial introduction. Once you have made your entrance into the community and have decided to move up to the next step then you may well want to give an RP Storyline a try.

An RP Storyline is an interactive story that not only involves you, but those around you. It takes a good bit of planning, and some well thought out activities to make it a success.

You will want to start out with story that you want to share with the community. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, maybe something general, like your sister has been kidnapped.

You’ll then need to decide who you need to help you out. If it’s been a magickal kidnapping, maybe you need a powerful magick user, or if it was a mercenary type of kidnapping, perhaps you’ll want some muscle to help bust them out. Just choose the basic bare bones of what you’re going to need to make the rescue/story a success.
Your next step would be to contact the individuals you would like to have help you, send them an OOC e-mail or PM and ask them if they would be able to help out with this. In this same e-mail/PM it is always a good idea to see what their availability is like. After you hear back from the major you can set a date and time to have everything begin.

Next I would suggest writing up a brief intro story that you can share on the CoH forums for your server. So that all those that are involved can know, and you can announce to the rest of the server what is happening. You’ll be surprised how many people will want to help with the story, and will reply to your post. Try your best to include those that would like to help in some way, but also stay true to the original purpose of the Storyline. It’s great that 1500 heroes want to help save your sister, but if she’s been kidnapped by a group of mercs then it might be better to take a small team in to get her.

Here’s a short list guide written by Spandexman (Virtue) to help you keep up with the basics. <To Be Expanded Later>

• Keep the story simple .
You don't need to have it completely outlined or anything, but have a good idea of where you want this story to go, but be flexible enough for on-the-spot changes.

• Have a workable solution,
something that can be guessed without a lot of research. If it's something impossible or some really quirky piece of lore that only a Left-handed Half-Elf from the Planet Nadox can solve, you'll lose your audience in a hurry.

• Give out clues!
If there's any way to give out clues, do so. If not, again, you'll lose your audience.

• People Involved.
If you're going to have other people involved, make sure they have their cues as well. Maybe they're the clue-giver or whatever.

• Time.
Here's the tricky part because I don't want to rain on anyone's parade..errr...story. If you plan to involve just yourself and a couple of people, drag it on as long as you want. But if you plan to involve the park, reduce it considerably. Two to three days (real time) is usually sufficient.

However, if the story is going to be long, keep it to our forum boards and give updates, with the occasional hint in the park. And for gosh sakes, whomever you have giving the hint, tell'em to keep away from the angst. Be concerned, whatever, but don't go on about it. We're intelligent people, we'll get the hint.

• "Fights"
...*sighs*...this is perhaps something that can be the silliest thing done since quite often we've had Lvl 2s challenging Lvl 20+. In reality, the Lvl 20+ people would smear those of Lvl 2 all over the landscape and maybe use the Lvl 2 for a washrag afterwards. If you must stage a fight, there should be some rules set up in advance or something.

((Great suggestion. I'm thinking of adding a "Commonly Used Binds" Section a bit later, I will add this suggestion there...))

((Suspension of Disbelief added Section 2.1 at the bottom))

((More truthwords have not been spoken in a long while... ))

(( Go over to the Test Server Forums... YoyZa! Stickie heaven....

For anyone that has constructive items about RP etiquette or techniques, or other items that are important for those first cutting their teeth in the RP community to know, feel free to PM with what you have.

I'll add it in and give credit for the author, much as I did with Spandex's.

Thanks for all the feedback so far, I greatly appreciate it.))

((Cuppa is the "goddess of mine eyes and the string of the harp in mine heart"...

/em raises glass))

((She ain't done yet! Very much a work in progress.. I add items from feedback or parts that I had no idea were missing when I can...

/em tip toes up to the post and gives it an uppercut...))

((I'd really like to see this one stay up towards the top... but that's just me being greedy... ))

Updated Sea's short list... Great Stuff! Thanks for the okay to use it...

Not sure where it went, but I've updated it a hair and I've made a few changes... I saw it mentioned in a thread a few days ago and dug it out of the "1 million things you started but never finished" folder...


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An Idiot’s Guide to RP in Paragon City

Congealed by an Idiot


Prologue:
So you’ve decided to give this Role-playing thing you’ve heard so much about, a shot. You’ve played City of Heroes for a short time and you know that you enjoy the game, and you want to become one of those players with a nifty back story that other players know and remember. Well you’ve hit the right place. Over the next few chapters I will try to put this all together from an Idiot’s point of view… Mine! So stick with me and we’ll get through this thing together.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

1.1 Pre-development

There are basically two ways that an RP character evolves. One requires luck and flexibility, that method being that you create a character and allow it to evolve naturally. Without defining any quirks, issues, shortcoming or strengths until they spill out from RP. This method is generally used by the RP Professionals, and I, not being a professional, have never had much luck with this approach.

So to keep things as simple as possible we’ll go with a formulaic approach that has worked for me.

Well Thought-out History + Relevant Costume + Memorable Issues + Glimmering Personality = Recognizable Character

We’ll hit each in order.

Well Thought-out History:

Not everyone is capable of sitting down and writing out the complete and involving back story of how their character came into being. But every player that wishes to enter into the realm of RP should at least have 7 basic facts ironed out prior to character creation (using the formula above, those that use the luck approach need to plan nothing)

Your basic facts include:
• Where you Were
• How you came to be in Paragon City
• What are your abilities
• Where your abilities came from
• What is your purpose in Paragon City
• What your character personality is
• What are your “quirks”

Let’s work through an example here. One that will follow us all the way through the process. As of right now our character has no name, no costume, it is simply an empty character slot on the log in screen.

Let’s Begin:

When answering the facts above it is always advisable to through in a little “Game Spice”, these are tid-bits of information that will help engrain your character within the world of CoH.

Things that revolve around the golden age heroes like Galaxy Girl, or the modern champions like Statesman are popular. But even more so, are those that revolve around the corporations, companies and villain groups. These groups are often utilized by role playing heroes. Companies like Portal Corps. and Crey Industries are very useful resources when filling in the back data on your character. As are associations with the more nefarious of the villains in CoH, The Carnival of Shadows, The Circle of Thorns, Hellions, Sky Raiders, etc. Latch on to one and utilize it’s in game story line to advance your character. Most of these mobs you will end up fighting throughout the mid game so it will allow you a plethora of Role Play opportunities.

Think it through a little bit, then jot it all down on a sheet of paper, these are the most basic of limitations for your character. What you place down here is not set in stone, but it should also be followed very closely. These seven facts make your character who they are.

So let’s put one together.

Where you were… Paris in 1920

Putting a location that is well known and an era that may not be will add a certain flair to your creation. Multiple layers are a good thing in these instances, but remember for the purposes of this segment try to keep it short and simple.

How you came to be in Paragon City… a Portal created by The Circle of Thorns opened, in front of you and you were sucked within it.

At this point we have just established the characters main influence, the Circle of Thorns, this will open the way for items on down the listing. However at any step within this process you can insert who you face on a regular basis.

What are your abilities?... This character is a Dark Melee, Regen Scrapper

Let’s face it, you are playing a game that is driven by the dynamic of the character’s powers. Any power set you want to play should fit within the outline. While it has been done, it is very difficult to get other players to suspend their disbelief enough for you to RP that your Electric Blast power is really a Blast of Sand. If a sand character is what you were trying to create the better option might have been an Earth Controller, or a Stone Tanker. However it is easy to get other players to suspend their disbelief enough to believe that the Energy Blast set is actually Water powers instead of Energy (i.e. the character Kelp Plankton on Virtue). Try to keep your powers in line with your character. It does, in fact, make your RP easier. And when in doubt use a more generic power set, each AT has one. Tankers have Invulnerability, Blasters have energy, Defenders have Empathy/Force Fields, Scrappers have Martial Arts, etc.

Where your abilities came from… The Circle of Thorns performed rituals that gave this character their powers.

This part is where the main skill of all RPers comes into play… creativity! You could be experimented on, they could come naturally to you, you could have mutated, they could be made available to you by some form of machinery that you have implanted, or they could be granted to you by a god/goddess/magickal object. When in doubt here, turn to the origins available in the game for some ideas. But also understand that you are not limited by them, just use them a base from which to progress.

Common sense does play a part in this though. If your character was granted their powers by the Fire Goddess Pele’ it might not make sense for our powers to be ice based or water based. There are always exceptions, but beginning in the process of RP you will find it easy if you keep it as simplified as possible.

What is your purpose in Paragon City… to defend the populace with all the powers at this character’s disposal.

Here is the place to begin mapping out the reasoning behind them “Staying” in paragon. You may be tracking down someone that kidnapped your family, or trying to learn all the magicks you can to defeat a big badguy in your homeland, you may be in search of something. There are a myriad of reasons to remain in Paragon, but the above example is by far and away the most simple.

It will be a reason for you to always remain in Paragon. Choosing some of the other options like, “My Purpose here is to Defeat the Envoy of Shadows, because it was the one that turned me” while dramatic, and inclusive of content, means that when you hit level 30 and get invited to defeat the Envoy… well you’ve met your character’s goal… now what are you going to do? Think through the life of your character. You get to play God and the Fate’s all rolled into one here. You are mapping the destiny of your creation…

What your Character’s Personality is… this character is a sultry yet dark female, she is flirtatious, and slightly mean spirited

This is the most fun portion so far. You need to simply indicate what your character’s basic traits are like. A neat trick for this is to find 2 characters that you somehow relate to, and merge them together. In the above example I thought about Rue McClanahan’s character Blanche from the golden girls, and merged her with the Demi Moore character from Charlie’s Angels 2. Doing this should help out immensely.

Try merging some totally opposing characters for comedic value, like the Stapler Guy from Office Space, with a court jester from King Authur’s court. Or say a Nun, with an alien postal worker. The boundaries are limitless (unless you cross the line see Chapter 2 for details)

What are your character’s quirks… Being French she is just now beginning to understand English, she speaks with a very thick and heavy French accent, and has trouble with American Slang/Jargon

Speech abnormalities are very common among the more memorable of the RP communities within CoH. Feline characters often have a gravelly/purring sound in their speech, some characters have lisps, some even have their very own form of English (I will refrain from naming names, but um… Rowr-Speak, Kitsy-speak, and Whale-speak are very good examples of this). And there are a very few characters that don’t even speak at all.

However quirks are not always about speech, they include any number of physical activities, actions, or thought processes that a character might struggle through. You’re character might be addicted to cigarettes, and chain smoke. They may be hydrophobic and will not go in the water. They may even be allergic to bee-stings. All these quirks will aid in making your character more enjoyable for those observing your RP. And by making it more enjoyable you will find you draw more players to you.

So that covers the basic outlining process. Just remember that you are forging a character that you will be playing on the stage that is City of Heroes. If your character is not entertaining and thought provoking then no one will tune in to watch your show.

1.2 Character Creation

Now for the fun Part! Hours upon hours of time can be spent in the character creation tool, with so many color options and costume pieces, there are literally over 12 million possible costume combinations… for the female characters alone!

However, with this process being so much fun it is incredibly easy to get carried away.

Let’s get started with the easy part.

Thanks to the outline above, we already know that the character will be Magickal Origin, Scrapper, with Dark Melee, and Regeneration. Look to the CoH boards for what powers to choose for whichever build you find yourself making.

We have already decided her to be female.

Size and Musculature will vary. These are really artsy choices, however my personal suggestion is to look towards your outline to aid in this decision. If you character is 8 years old, you might not want to put her in a 8 foot tall, 450lbs body. Use common sense and discretion. For the purposes of this character I made her the default sizing.

Now we’re moving into the fun but dangerous part of choosing your first costume.

Take a little time here to think about what your character might be wearing. If they are a normal/average Joe turned super hero does the idea of an all spandex uniform work best, or would they be the type to take on bad guys in just a tank top and a small mask? Ask these questions as you put their clothes on.

If they were a color what would they be?
Is armor necessary?
Do they need a tail more than a belt?
Based off their origination, what kind of hairstyles would they have?

Any other questions that you can ask yourself and answer reasonably will help in leading your character to a more enlightened and fitting appearance. Your dark and gloomy character might never be described by others and bubbly and Neon Yellow. They are more apt to describe her as brooding and grey. So take those words that describe the character’s personality. A dark and gloomy character that is incredibly envious might work out well in green.

Sometimes the powers are also a good choice to lead you to a color scheme. This reason alone is why so many Radiation defenders actually look great in neon green. Align them to what you will be wielding. It will aid in making your character more memorable.

However with the costumes, all the rules are made to be broken. So long as there is a purpose behind the choices. So when you are asked, “Hey you Mr. Dark Dark Defender, why are you dressed up like the sun?” you can respond with… well, with whatever logic drove you to choose that costume. Ex. I have been blessed by both the Dark Goddess and the Sun God, my powers from the Lady, and my magickal raiment from the Lord… etc.

So now you’ve gotten the perfect tights, and belt, and boots, and gloves for your character, on to the hardest part of character creation… The Naming.

The Naming of your character will be the first line in your RPing with other characters in most cases.

Often initial interactions with others begins with the following…

“Hello stranger, I am Lord Bannion, Have we met before?”

to which you will normally reply

“I am<insert name here>, we have not met in person before, but your exploits are legendary…”

Now your character may not talk like that, or use correct grammar, but you get the idea. Having a name that “fits” and is memorable goes a long way in your interactions with others.

L33T D00D names are pretty much a no-no. Try to refrain from using names that utilize this mode of online speech. As are names that are rip-offs of trademarked characters, like the Inflatable Hulk, and the Whyte Queen. These type of names are not often taken as serious RPers.

Be warned. If a name sounds very imperial and awesome, chances are it is taken at this point. Names like “Griffon” and “Paindealer” will more likely than not be unavailable.

Originality while remaining in the context of your character is pretty much the only way to go. A French woman from the 1920’s, that has very dark powers and healing ability might have some knowledge of the occult because of the Age of Investigation that swept through Europe during this time. Many men and women dabbled in the occult, or located old legends to begin study on the paranormal at this time. Focus was placed on the Afro-Caribbean religions during this time, so she might name herself “Peristyle” after the center piece of the Vodou Altar.

Now, how did I know that? Am I an uber researcher? Not at all. I went to google.com and searched for some morsel of character spice. Searched “Women in 1920 Paris”, then found a small bit on the vodou connection and searched that. See? Just a little bit of detail goes a very long way, when RPing.

Now that an interesting character is fleshed out, it’s time to enter Paragon.

Chapter 2: First Contact

2.1 The Rules of Engagement

First up, let’s talk about where to go and how to get started in the actual interactions with other RPers.

Various servers have their RP hot spots. On Virtue (The Unofficial RP Server) the three main locations are Under Atlas in Atlas Park, Gemini Park in Galaxy City, and the Paragon Dance Club.

Take your well thought out and planned character to one of these locations to meet new individuals. Or to introduce your new character to old friends.

There are some things that you need to understand before getting started that will help keep you from getting upset. Your character is an unknown at this point. Not everyone will react to them immediately.

You will have to take the first steps at interaction. If individuals don’t see some form of bubble form above your head they often think that you are RPing a character that is unseen or that lurks in the background. So speak up!

Two ways to do this without actively interfering in the RP of others is to walk up to the area where the other are and say, “Greetings, I am Peristyle, and I am looking to make friends. Might I join you?” Now I know that seems corny, and hokey, and odd, but it’s a sure fire way to get folks talking with you. Now it can always be simplified to meet your characters personality. Try using “Is this seat taken?” when in the club, or use clever /em’s to generate the first interactions. /em Curls up on the outskirts of the small crowd, not wanting to interfere, but wanting to listen… is fairly effective for your shy characters. Again use your imagination.

Once you have started the conversation there are a few rules that you should pay careful attention to. Ever RP community has it’s own rules around how RP is conducted. The same is true for not only CoH, but also for Supergroups within CoH. So what I am sharing here are the generally accepted Rules of Engagement when involving yourself with RP. These make up the majority of the things that will cause your character to get on the /ignore lists of many of the RPers.


• No Powerposing/God Modeing/Run-way RPing.

This is defined by RPing actions that affect another player without their permission. Actions that involve the killing of another character are part of this as well. Ex. /em reaches into the chest of Hero X and squeezes the life from his heart. While that example is graphic other more subtle actions can still be called Powerposing. Ex. /em sings a song of such beauty and purity that it causes all within its sound to fall under her spell.

• Stay in Character

Nothing will break immersion in your character as fast as breaking character while RPing. Try to keep your character’s thoughts feelings and reactions at the forefront of your mind at just about all times. And should the need come up for you to gain some clarity on a situation, or something the others said always indicate when Out Of Character, or OOC, by using either the (( )) approach, or the more complicated OOC: approach. You will see these quite frequently about Virtue and on the Forums.

• When in doubt, Ask!

No one’s character has ever been hurt by sending a /tell to the individual(s) that you are RPing with asking an OOC question about something you want to do with or near their character. If you want to cast a pool of dark energy on the ground and you want someone to act frightened so that you can have your character, make it go away out of compassion, ask them to help you. Use /tell’s like you would a dress rehearsal to see how all the pieces will fit together.

• Share the Friggin’ Spotlight!

This one is pretty easy. Just like in Real Life your character will not always be at the epicenter of all the RP activity. Be mindful that if another is at a particularly dramatic or difficult point in the active RP around you, it may not be the time to figure out why your magickal watch is saying “Eat Fried Beans”. Be willing to share the spot light with others and they will be willing to share it with you.

• Foster the Community

If there is an event, that is available to all the populace of Paragon, try to make it a point to attend when your RL allows it. When you have become more comfortable RPing, take someone else under your wing and show them how it’s done. Any activity that is supportive of the RP community is a must to for most RPers.

However the reverse of this is also true, so nothing that will create a dislike of the RP community as a group should be engaged in. RPing a rabid monkey that spreads Rabies to everyone, even non RPers, reflects poorly on the community as a whole. So be mindful that your reactions are reflected upon all RPers.

• Suspension of Disbelief


Part of successful Roleplaying, is being able to dispel your disbelief. We all do it even if we don’t think we are. By logging into the game we automatically forfeit a small piece of our disbelief. If you really analyze it none of our powers exist, none of our characters exist, and Paragon City itself doesn’t exist. Upon entering the game we make the world around us… real. That being said …

Over the course of your character’s career in Paragon, you are likely to encountered characters with histories and stories that may seem implausible based upon currently held standards of belief. You may meet gods and goddesses with vastly different backgrounds (you might even meet the same god/dess in multiple forms while in Paragon), you might meet angels and demons that have nothing biblical about them, and you will even meet characters from far off galaxies, tied to other existing cultural mythos (living urban legends, etc).

Here’s an example. For a short time there was a character named Bobby Kringle. He was that little brother to Kris Kringle. He just wasn’t as famous, and did a lot of RPing about living life in his brother’s shadow. No where in the mythos of Santa, does it say that he had a brother. Nor does it say that he doesn’t. This character was enjoyable to everyone around him, simply because everyone had suspended their disbelief, and involved themselves in his world. The world where Santa had a brother.

Successful RPers will allow other players to indulge in creating their own stories, even if it means allowing something that doesn’t appear “plausible” based off past knowledge. My tip with this, swiped rather blatantly from the more successful RPers I’ve met, is to think of Paragon City as a nexus to multiple realities with multiple truths. If you adopt a similar thinking then suspending your own disbelief will be a cinch. Be respectful of those with stories outside your beliefs, and you’ll find that you’ll be included more readily in the community and have a much better RP experience within CoH.

Those Six Rules will last you through out the game, no matter where you are roleplaying. There will be additions to the listing, but those will mainly reflect the individual needs/wants of your RP partners and/or Super Group.

2.2 Storylines – How to make your Character Come Alive – (Content by Spandexman)

A major part of RP comes after the initial introduction. Once you have made your entrance into the community and have decided to move up to the next step then you may well want to give an RP Storyline a try.

An RP Storyline is an interactive story that not only involves you, but those around you. It takes a good bit of planning, and some well thought out activities to make it a success.

You will want to start out with story that you want to share with the community. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, maybe something general, like your sister has been kidnapped.

You’ll then need to decide who you need to help you out. If it’s been a magickal kidnapping, maybe you need a powerful magick user, or if it was a mercenary type of kidnapping, perhaps you’ll want some muscle to help bust them out. Just choose the basic bare bones of what you’re going to need to make the rescue/story a success.
Your next step would be to contact the individuals you would like to have help you, send them an OOC e-mail or PM and ask them if they would be able to help out with this. In this same e-mail/PM it is always a good idea to see what their availability is like. After you hear back from the major you can set a date and time to have everything begin.

Next I would suggest writing up a brief intro story that you can share on the CoH forums for your server. So that all those that are involved can know, and you can announce to the rest of the server what is happening. You’ll be surprised how many people will want to help with the story, and will reply to your post. Try your best to include those that would like to help in some way, but also stay true to the original purpose of the Storyline. It’s great that 1500 heroes want to help save your sister, but if she’s been kidnapped by a group of mercs then it might be better to take a small team in to get her.

Here’s a short list guide written by Spandexman (Virtue) to help you keep up with the basics. <To Be Expanded Later>

• Keep the story simple .
You don't need to have it completely outlined or anything, but have a good idea of where you want this story to go, but be flexible enough for on-the-spot changes.

• Have a workable solution,
something that can be guessed without a lot of research. If it's something impossible or some really quirky piece of lore that only a Left-handed Half-Elf from the Planet Nadox can solve, you'll lose your audience in a hurry.

• Give out clues!
If there's any way to give out clues, do so. If not, again, you'll lose your audience.

• People Involved.
If you're going to have other people involved, make sure they have their cues as well. Maybe they're the clue-giver or whatever.

• Time.
Here's the tricky part because I don't want to rain on anyone's parade..errr...story. If you plan to involve just yourself and a couple of people, drag it on as long as you want. But if you plan to involve the park, reduce it considerably. Two to three days (real time) is usually sufficient.

However, if the story is going to be long, keep it to our forum boards and give updates, with the occasional hint in the park. And for gosh sakes, whomever you have giving the hint, tell'em to keep away from the angst. Be concerned, whatever, but don't go on about it. We're intelligent people, we'll get the hint.

• "Fights"
...*sighs*...this is perhaps something that can be the silliest thing done since quite often we've had Lvl 2s challenging Lvl 20+. In reality, the Lvl 20+ people would smear those of Lvl 2 all over the landscape and maybe use the Lvl 2 for a washrag afterwards. If you must stage a fight, there should be some rules set up in advance or something.